Sunday, July 31, 2016

There a lots of poems about the English language and this one is a little different. It's amazing how we take our language for granted and think it's simple until we really begin to think about it and are glad we are not having to learn it.

WHY ENGLISH IS HARD TO LEARN by Anonymous

We'll begin with box; the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, and two are called geese.
Yet the plural of moose is never called meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a house full of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
The plural of man is always men,
But the plural of pan is never pen.

If I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet.
And I give you a book, would a pair be a beek?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't two booths be called beeth?

If the singular's this and the plural are these,
Should the plural of kiss be ever called keese?

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he his and him;
But imagine the feminine....she, shis and shim!!

Thursday, July 28, 2016

When I was a child at school we studied history as we all do but for the life of me I can't recall very much of it. I feel we perhaps learned a lot about the French Revolution, a little English history and very little Australian history. I have become much more inquisitive about past events the older I am and decided it was time I found out a little more about the English monarchy. My mother had a beautiful book entitled "Kings & Queens of England and Scotland" by Allen Andrews (published by Marshall Cavendish in 1976 with several reprints).

Part of the introduction reads: "At present there are only ten reigning royal families in Europe in seven kingdoms, a pocket-sized Grand Duchy and two tiny principalities. Defeat in war, internal revolution and majority consensus have swept away the myriad emperors and kings, princes and dukes who held sway over millions of lives only a century ago. Yet at no time since the mid-seventeenth has the British monarchy been in any real danger of falling. Several times the monarch himself has come under attack - most recently when national outcry against his marriage plans made King Edward VIII feel in conscience bound to abdicate - but there has been no concerted attempt to discard the institution of monarchy in Britain. Presumably it would be possible to force a 'bad' king to give up his throne, were the future Charles III to prove a modern Charles I, demanding vast personal power in government, or a latter-day Charles II, scandalising his subjects with his blatant amours he might be forced to abdicate. Yet this is a possibility as hard to envisage as that of the permanent deposition of the royal dynasty. Whatever the future of Britain in the *European Economic Community in terms of abrogation of national sovereignty, the monarchy is already safeguarded under the terms of the Treaty of Rome. The very fact that such drastic steps seems so unlikely is due largely to the high standard of service tendered to Britain by her royal family in this (the 20th) century. Recent monarchs have served the nation so well, even 'beyond the call of duty', in both war and peace, that it is well-nigh impossible to visualise a time when they might fall short of their present high standard.

A would be President seeks power, a potential Pope achieves it, but a monarch "has greatness thrust upon him/her" by their accident of birth. The British monarch, whatever his or her intelligence, talents and propensities, is required to undertake duties, both intellectual and practical, diverse and daunting in their scope, which are asked of no other man or woman in the kingdom. Stories of foibles and failings of British monarchs in a thousand years and more of the nation's history only highlight the country's present good fortune in the royal House of Windsor.

EGBERT 802-839

Born: ?770-780. Succeeded as King of Wessex in 802, as overlord (by conquest) of the British of Cornwall and devon in 805 as King of Kent i 825, as King of the English in 829, and as overlord of Wales in 831.Married: Eadburgh. Children: Ethelwulf, Editha, Etlstan.Died: 839, probably in his sixties, having reigned 37 years.

Egbert was King of the West Saxons at the time when, after the death of Offa, King of Mercia in 769, Wessex took over the leading position among the three principal kingdoms. Northumbria had been in the ascendant in the seventh century and Mercia in the eighth. The four other rulers in the so-called Heptarchy of England - the kings of East Anglia, Kent, Essex, (including the former Middlesex) and Sussex) which with Kent, had partitioned the old Surrey) - were virtually vassals, and the last three realms were soon part of Wessex. Egbert absorbed the Kingdom of Kent in 825, and the territory was occasionally passed to a son or grandson as means of training in leadership. In 825 Egbert defeated the King of Mercia at the battle of Ellendun (now Wroughton, near Swindon), and his armies fanned out to occupy Mercia. They also demonstrated sufficient military presence on the northern border for Northumbria to pay particular attention to Egbert's political aims in that direction.

All this activity was comparatively minor. There was no great military tyrant crushing the spirit of a helpless nation, but Egbert's supremacy, operated from Wessex, was sufficient for him to take the ancient title of Bretwalda, ruler of Britain. This was a mystical, rather than a practical title. No new knees were bent in direct homage and no extra taxes were yielded, yet it is evident that even the kings of Scotland took some notice of those few Saxon kings whose prestige was great enough for them to be styled King of Britain. Egbert was the last Bretwalda. Militarily he could not justify his title for long, since in order to maintain political peace he gave Mercia a sort of independence in 830. But Egbert remained as overlord of the King of East Anglia, and had the kingdoms of Kent, Essex and Sussex in his family pocket, as the Crown today holds the Duchy of Cornwall. The Cornish, or West Welsh, who constantly threatened the other kingdoms made an alliance with the Danes and jointly invaded Wessex from the west in 838. Their decisive defeat by Egbert at the Hengist Down spelt out the epitaph on Cornish power and independence. As the father and trainer of a royal dynasty in Wessex which was to display the foremost military dash and administrative competence, Egbert laid the foundations on which his descendants on the throne of Wessex became the accepted kings of England.

I am sure this sounds dreadfully dull to most, if not all, of you but I have British ancestry and felt it high time I learned a little more about it and its people.

*The above was obviously written long before Brexit but it still fits in in context with the other information at that time. I will warn you now I will be writing more about the early kings of England some of whom only reigned for very short periods of time. I will never remember all of this but I will always have the book to refer to when queries arise in my mind. I tend to find it all very interesting and so different to modern times (or is it?).

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Considering all the horrible things that have occurred over past week, and even before that, I am not sure I really want to think any more. It is so difficult trying to find pleasant things to concentrate on. Yes, there is being with my Phil and enjoying his love and care of me and both of us sharing the love of our beautiful Candy cat who never fails to delight us each day with her antics. Every day now she asks to have a drink from either the kitchen or bathroom tap in spite of the fact she has two clean bowls of water from which she also drinks. I think it's her way of keeping us busy turning the tap on and off!

I do love to think about my family but very often when doing so I then tend to worry about them and, in particular, what the future holds for them and knowing it is not within my power to make it good for them. Having great-granddaughters of 4 and 8 makes me wonder what their future will be like in this multicultural society. In 2050 they will be 38 and 42 respectively....what will life in Perth be like then? I worry too about our great-granddaughter who will be 20 in a couple of months. She has been disabled since just before her 5th birthday when a family friend who was caring for her managed to be involved in a dreadful traffic accident. One can only hope there will always be care available for her as she ages. So much to think and worry about. I even worry about my daughter and her hubby flying to New Jersey in September to visit their #3 daughter. So far from home and such a long way back as well. I must just think positively about them making this trip. I am obviously getting old as I am sure the young don't have all these worries.

My folks lived through two world wars and the worst depression the world has seen. In the first world war they lived and worked in London despite the bombing and then ventured to emigrate to Australia where they at times faced hardships we could only guess at today. Did they, I wonder, worry about what the future held for their children? They didn't seem to but then dad died in 1971 and mum in 1985 when the world to them would seem to be have been on a reasonably even keel.

Am I worrying over nothing? Maybe it will all sort it self out, one can only hope. In the meantime I lose myself in watching le Tour de France (isn't Chris Froome fantastic and our Aussie boy Richie Porte really showing how good he is too?) and a couple of what will hopefully be exciting AFL footy matches.

Will I continue thinking? Of course I will and Phil and I will often sit and talk about world affairs and consider how it could all be put to rights if only the right people were in charge but then the right people are often those that aren't ambitious enough to think they could change much so stay quiet which is a great shame.

I am sorry to have rambled on and I don't blame you if you didn't get this far. I have few people to talk to these days (in fact no-one really) and just need to air my thoughts and worries somewhere.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Once again scanning YouTube for favourites and I came across this one. I've never been a great fan of Patti Page but always thought this a cheerful little song. I wonder if you remember it? Do take a minute or two and enjoy this tune with me.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

This little cat reminded me so much of Candy I just had to include it. I wonder if cats really do feel that concerned when they see us cry? I am sure Candy wonders why Phil bustles about trying to pick up the lizards she brings in to us and wonders why her gift is not fully appreciated.

Friday, July 15, 2016

As you may recall I've always enjoyed the music of Perry Como. We actually saw him on stage when he came to Perth back in the 1970s and his concert was wonderful. While scrolling through YouTube I came across this song which I always used to enjoy. Perry Como recorded "Catch a Falling Star" way back in 1957 (Gee!! I was only 25 years old way back then!!) Hopefully you will spend a few minutes and enjoy listening to it with me:

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Lesson 3 on Kings and Queens of England and Scotland. Now we are getting to those I've heard of and are in fact a wee bit more interesting than the earlier Kings although there are still many who are strangers to me so I am going to enjoy learning about them too.

ALFRED (Still spelt with an AE dipthong) Known as ALFRED THE GREAT

Born: 849 at Wantage.

Succeeded as King of Wessex 71 at the age of 22. Was declared King of the Saxons and King of the English. Recognised as overlord of Wales 893.

Younger brother of his predecessor Ethelred, being the fifth son of King Ethelwulf and the grandson of King Egbert.Married: 868 to Ealswyth who survived him and died in about 902.Children: Ethelflaed, EADWARD, Ethelgeofu, Elfthryth, Ethelweard.

Profile: A clean shaven, barrel chinned, deeply lined perhaps almost tortured face neither senile nor conventionally 'wise' or great. He was never called Alfred the Great in his lifetime, and the bearded statue of him in Wantage, Berkshire has the face of a local Victorian.

Alfred's brother and brother-on-arms, Ethelred, had two surviving children when he died but it was a time for active, experienced leadership, and they were not even considered as possible successors. It is interesting, however, to see how powerful connections had their advantages even so many years ago. One of the boys Ethlhelm, became Archbishop of Canterbury and the other, Etherwald, was King of York and indeed tried to take Alfred's throne after his death. However, their uncle's immediate problem was to beat off the Danes from their assault on Wessex. His ultimate achievement, which followed in part from the weakened position of the Mercians and Northmbrians against the Danes, was that when the fragmented English kingdoms collapsed before the foreign assault, Alfred had something to put in its place. And the concept of England as a nation hardened into a reality, for under asssult it had developed an identity of its own. Alfred was never crowned King of all England, a title which he has someties been given retrospectively. That would have been a presumptuous claim, although he well earned his title King of the Saxons, and did style himself on some of his coins as King of the English. His son and successor Edward the Elder took the title King of the English but the realm was limited, and only Alfred's grandson Ethelstan brought in Northumbria.

Alfred, as a warrior king with an urgent objective, fought nine battles against the Danes in the first year of his reign and won himself a breathing space. He did not however reorganise the defence of Wessex with conspicuous brilliance. Though a mature 22 years of age and a hardened commander he was a late developer intellectually and a most tortured man psychologically. He was troubled by what are nowadays interpreted as psychosomatic illnesses, afflictions reflecting mental unease - and on his wedding day he became mysteriously and incapably sick, a circumstance whiich modern pscychiatrists inevitably seize with glee. Alfred is one of the most fascinating characters in history, and a dramatist of perception could do him the justice or resurrection in the same sense that we now know Sir Thomas More, as 'a man for all seasons'.

A quick impression presents Alfred as a combination of the pious imperial dreamer with the shrewd, long tem strategy defensive general. A deeper analysis suggests a man intolerably teased by ambition and humility with many of his actions being little more than compulsive reactions to the desperate pressure of events. Here he was also a man able to give practical shape to a serene vision of a new land, advancing under thoughtful laws, adequate security, and a new concept of phiosophy and education and culture to meet and appreciate a wider world. Alfred dissolved the insularity of Saxon England in a secular and cultural sense which was far more influential than the formal concept of the universality of the Christian Church Two youthful sojourns in Rome, where the Pope robed the boy as a consul and sponsored him as a future leader and a further stay at the court of King of the Franks, gave him a lasting vision of the spaciousness of the world and the richess of life that arose from contact with it. Yet he was always afflicted by a self-doubt that physically incapacitated him at many crises, and by self-depreciation base on the fact that, like every king's son of his time he was illiterate - until he conquered that disadvantge towards the end of his life.

For the fist seven years of his reign Alfred continued his undistinguished skirmishing with the Danes to try to hold his territory as he had established it during his initial year of vigorous campaigning. In January, 878 the Danes made an unconventional winter blitzrkreig and Wessex was completely over-run. But over the next four months Alfred deployed his underground resistance from his base in the Somerset marshes and by superb organisation welded the men of Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire into an army which decisively defeated the Danes in the pitched battle at Edington, Wiltshire. With impressive statesmanship he consolidated this victory. He insisted that the Defeated King Guthrum of the Danes should receive baptism into Christianity - probably with less consideration for the welfare of Guthrum's soul than for the well-being of the inhabitants of Danish-occupied Mercia and Northumbria who would undergo less harassment in their native culture if Christianity was a recognised religion. He then drastically conscripted the manpower of Wessex so that it was efficiently organised as a defence arm and an agricultural workforce, the men taking turns at those complementary duties. He built a chain of fortified towns which would remain as urban strongholds in future invasions, so that Wessex could never be entirely blotted out as it had been in 878. Also he built a navy as a new reserve against the sea power of the Danes.

In the uneasy, but generally effective, conditions of peace which followed these imaginative defense measures, Alfred established a much needed judicial system by introducing a new code of laws painstakingly worked out from the best contemporary foreign practice. Then, having learned to read at the age of 38, and having much that he wanted to say to his people in the old English language, Alfred began a cult of broad education which aimed at giving the English a soul and a sense of corporate history. This resulted in shaping for them an identity which has its hold today. His reign was an example of how a sense of vision could be used by a monarch,

This is the story of an old hotel in Guildford which is a very old suburb north-east of Perth. An article was presented on our local ABC radio station and this is where I got the story and the pictures from.

GUILDFORD HOTEL EMERGES FROM THE ASHES 8 YEARS AFTER BLAZE GUTTED THE INTERIOR.

"The Guildford Hotel has been a popular landmark sitting smack-bang in the centre of the town of Guildford for more than 100 years. It was built in 1886, with its inspiring classical facade added in 1914.

In 1993 the hotel was added to the State Heritage Register, but in 2008 a suspicious fire destroyed the roof and gutted the interior. For years it sat surrounded by security fencing. The local community ran a fierce campaign urging the owners to save and restore the building and now their years of campaigning have paid off, with the hotel set to reopen. The damaged hotel surrounded by security fencing:

Architect Kylee Schoonens said the restoration aimed to pay tribute to the building's 130-year history. "We really wanted to tell the story of the hotel", Miss Schonnens told Hilary Smale on 720 ABC Perth. "One of the key elements is obviously the fire but it had so much more history. The way that we have done that is by retaining as much of the existing fabric in the building that we possibly could."

Evidence of fire remains

"In some ways the fire actually augmented the restoration process", Ms Schoonens added. "The benefit of the fire was that it actually pulled back so many of those layers for us that we wouldn't have actually been able to see otherwise. We were careful to keep those elements still exposed. Where the fire came through the upper floors, there was a series of bedrooms. A lot of the timbers were gone but there were some amazing pieces that have been left. You can see untouched original timbers with floorboards across the top that are fire damaged".

Bricks made by convicts

Also revealed under the old plasterboard was evidence of a much earlier history. Guildford was one of the fist colonial settlements in Perth and the hotel was one of the area's original watering holes.

"When we were pulling back the plasterwork we found original handmade bricks that were made by convicts," Ms Schoonens said. "You can see a lot of the tool marks in the bricks themselves."

Despite the complexity of the restoration project, it has been a labour of love for the architects and building team.

"I love old buildings and being able to bring their stories to life," said Ms Schoonens. "One of the things that has made the most impact on me is the way the community has really embraced the project as well. We have had so many great comments with people saying how much they love the building. It's been really heart warming."

The hotel restored to all its glory with the belvedere in place on top:

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

May be if we were really wise we would all have one of these signs displayed on our front window or door. Wonder what callers would think about it....would they still knock or go away? I found this one on Facebook so some of you may have already seen it.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

It had been rather a quiet uneventful week until yesterday. It was may half-brother Darrell's 70th birthday. Those that have followed my blog for several years will know I was adopted and Darrell is the son of the man who was my birth father. We met up with Darrell about 15 years ago and became good friends and also with his sister Marilyn who is of course my half-sister.

This is a photo of Darrell I stole from his Facebook page. I think it was taken a few years ago at what looks like another celebration probably down in Margaret River.

Darrell lives way down in Margaret River (270km south of Perth) and last year Marilyn moved to Dunsborough (245km south of Perth) so we don't see much of them any more but do keep n touch on Facebook.

As well as sending him a birthday card by snail mail I had placed a happy birthday message on Facebook in which I said I was sorry we couldn't spend time with him today. Not long after that I received a phone call from Darrell to say "I am about half an hour from your house and I will pick you up and take you both to lunch". Mad panic and Phil and quickly tidied up the kitchen and living room (Phil will scatter the Weekend Australian all over the floor) and welcomed Darrell into our house.

We sat and discussed where to go for lunch and decided on the Kardinya Tavern which we'd not been to for some years. It had become very expensive but we thought we'd give it a try. We realised that times are not easy for businesses these days and the tavern now has a senior's special menu with all the dishes listed priced at $19.95 which includes the salad bar and a glass of house wine (red or white) or cool drink.

Phil had fish and chips, Darrell steak and chips (which he said was tender and cooked 'just right) and I had sausage and mash which I love. Phil and I both had a glass of house red which was exceptionally good and Darrell a glass of house white. Phil and Darrell both had salad but I was too full up. After sitting and chatting for a while we decided on coffee and cake and the lemon cheese cake was delicious.

Darrell then drove us back home but didn't stay as he was wending his way to his daughter's home north of Perth to have dinner with her and her husband. They had moved from Margaret River to Perth last October so had not been seeing so much of each other either. He will stay there tonight and drive back to Margaret River in the morning.

He said when he read my message about seeing him today he just had to make my wish come true. How lovely of him. He shouted us lunch but Phil managed to beat him to it and paid for the coffee and cake.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Thursday, July 7, 2016

That BROOME in Western Australia is a coastal, pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region, 2,240 kilometres (1,390 miles) north of Perth. The permanent population is estimated at between 14,000 and 15,000, growing to over 45,000 per month during the tourist season. Broome International Airport provides transport to several domestic destinations.

Broome is situated on the traditional lands of the Yawuru people. It is often mistakenly thought that the first European to visit Broome was William Dampier in 1688, but he only visited the north of what was later named the Dampier Peninsula. In 1699 he explored the coast from Shark Bay to La Grange Bay, from where he headed north leaving the Australian coast. Many of the coastal features of the area were later named for him. In 1879, Charles Harper suggested that the pearling industry could be served by a port closer to the pearling grounds and that Roebuck Bay would be suitable. John Forrest chose the site for the town, and it was named after Sir Frederick Broome, the Governor of Western Australia from 1883 to 1889. Broome jetty:

In 1889, a telegraph cable was laid from Broome to Singapore, connecting to England. Hence the name Cable Beach given to the landfall site.

The town has a deep history based around the exploits of the men and women who developed the pearling industry, starting with the harvesting of oysters for mother of pearl in the 1880s to the current major cultured pearl farming enterprises.

At first, aborigines were blackbirded (enslaved) and forced to dive naked, with little or no equipment. Pregnant girls were preferentially used as they were believed to have a superior lung capacity. In 2010 the Shire of Broome and Kimberley commissioned a Memorial to the indigenous Female Pearl Divers.

When slavery was abolished and diving suits were needed for deeper diving, Asians and islanders were given the dangerous job instead. The Japanese were especially valued for their experience. The riches from the pearl beds did not come cheaply, however, and the town's Japanese cemetery is the resting place of 919 Japanese who lost their lives working in the industry.

Many more were lost at sea, and the exact number of deaths is unknown. The Japanese were only one of the ethnic groups who flocked to Broome to work on the luggers or the shored based activities supporting the harvesting of oysters from the waters around Broome. Each year Broome celebrates this fusion of different cultures in an annual cultural festival called Shinju Matsuri (Hapanese for festival of the pearl) which celebrates the Asian influenced culture brought there by the pearling history.

Broome was attached at least four times by Japanese aircraft during World War 2. The worst raid in terms of loss of life was the air raid on 3 March, 1942 in which at least 86 people (mostly civilians who were refugees from the Dutch East Indies) were killed,. Twenty-two aircraft were destroyed, most of them flying boats, the remains of which can still be seen in the harbour at low tide.

In the 1950, Broome was the setting for Arthur Upfield's novel "The Widows of Broome", his 12th novel featuring Detective Inspector Napoloen Bonaparte ("Bony").

The Western Australian mining boom of the 1960s, as well as the growth of the tourism industry, also helped Broome develop and diversify.

At Gantheauma Point and 30 metres (96 feet) out to sea are dinosaur footprints dated as Early Cretaceous in age (approximiately 130 million year ago). The tracks can be seen only during very low tide. In 1996 some of the prints were cut from the ground and stolen, but have since been recovered. Plant fossils are also preserved extensively in the Broome Sandstone at Gantheaume Point and in coastal exposures further north. Gantheaume Point, circa 1910:

Cable Beach named in honour of the Java-to-Australia undersea cable which reached the shore there, is situated 7km from the town along a bitumen road. The beach itself is 22.5km (14 mile) long with white sand, washed by tides that can reach over 9m (30 ft). The beach is almost perfectly flat. Caution is required by swimmers when swimming from November to March as box jellyfish are present during those months. There have been cases where crocodiles have been sighted off the shore, but this is a rarity and measures are taken to prevent these situations. Four wheel drive vehicles may be driven onto the beach from the car park. This allows people to explore the beach at low ride to a much greater extent than would be possible on foot. Sunset caamel rides operate daily along the beach. Our granddaughter Aimee and her daughter rode camels here some years back.

Cable Beach is home to one of Australia's most famous nudist beaches. The clothes optional area is to the north of the beach access road from the car park and continues to the mouth of Willie Creek, 17km (11 miles) away. This is Cable Beach:

Located directly east of Cable Beach over the dunes is Minyirr Park, a coastal reserve administered by a collaboration of the Shire of Broome and the Yawuru people.

Save the Kimberley Campaign: The Broome community led a campaign to protest against a proposal to industrialise the James Price Point outside of Broome. The campaign received ardent support from many public figures and a concert for the campaign was held on 5 October, 3023 at Federation Square in Melbourne and was attended by approximately 6,000 people. Much of the concern was due to the myriad of well-preserved dinosaur tracks that are found in the intertidal zone outside Brroome. These include possibly the largest known dinosaur footprints, sauropod tracks upwards of 1.7 metres long. It is suspected that the sauropod that made these tracks may have been 7-8 metres tall at the hip.

There is more on Wikipedia about Roebuck Bay itself which is very interesting as it mentioned much of the wildlife to be found in the area.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

TUESDAY. Our lovely man that used to mow our lawns has retired from the Community Service and we have a new fellow who now will be here on a Wednesday (every fifth week). He did a reasonable job but not nearly as good as Howard would do. We'll have to train him I think and please don't put the mowed grass in the green bin. That should go in our compost. Trouble is he got here rather early and I don't think Phil was quite wide awake enough to deal with him.

WEDNESDAY. At 12.30 the tree men arrived, all six of them. Paul took us through what they have to do and they set out to make out garden look a little tidier. I doubt I have ever seen workmen work as well as they did. They set to with a will and never stopped. As the limbs were cut up they were put through a shredder and afterwards one of the men used a blower to get rid of any bit and pieces on the driveway etc. One of the young chaps admired my slippers and I told him they were Slumbies and he should buy his wife or girlfriend some as they are so comfortable to wear. I think the total job took a little more than two hours and I was so pleased I paid Paul by bank transfer as soon as they were finished. I've now asked him for a quote to get rid of our HUGE cotton palm in a few months time. I've also given his name and number to my daughter as they have a really large tree that needs to go as it keeps dropping limbs. It is one I planted for them when they moved into their home over 35 years back.

THURSDAY: Our cleaning lass Jenny was here to make our floors clean and as usual she did a wonderful job and had time to spend with us to have a cuppa and a biscuit. Poor Jenny suddenly became allergic to nuts a year or so back and now has to be careful what she eats. She knows she can eat Arnotts Scotch fingers quite safely so we always make sure we have some in the biscuit box.

FRIDAY: We paid a visit to our podiatrist John McS so both sets of feet felt pampered. He looks after our feet so well which is necessary for diabetics as little problems can develop and grow into big ones without knowing about them and then one can be in real trouble.

We returned home and I suggested to Phil we have lunch at Phoenix S.C. where there is a really good cafe and I needed to go to Big W to buy some more yellow wool. He agreed so off we set and enjoyed a lunch of grilled fish, chips and salad. We don't eat chips very often and the chips at this cafe are delicious....really light and crisp.

As we passed a shoe shop I suggested Phil try on some shoes that were on special and looked rather smart. He wasn't keen on the fit and then I asked the lass if they had any jogger type shoes with velcro fastenings instead of ties. Yes, they had an Phil tried them on and they were very comfy. Last year he had bought a pair at Big W for $20 but they hadn't them since and were unlikely to. This pair were dearer but just what he wanted so he bought them.

I then went and found the wool I wanted (isn't it strange how we still call it 'wool' when mostly these days it is synthetic!) and bought a couple of little things as well.

As we wandered through the shopping centre, I noticed Phil had stopped at a men's wear shop. I followed him in and while there asked the lady in charge if they still sell men's cardigans. I had bought Phil a really smart cardigan on eBay and he looks really great when wearing it. The lady produced a few cardigans and we chose one for Phil in navy blue so he now has two so can change them about when we go out.
We came home and put our feet up and had a much needed rest. It was an easy night as I just made sandwiches for tea so not fuss necessary.

SATURDAY: Phil went out to do a bit of top-up shopping, to do the lotto and to vote. I'd done a postal vote so didn't have to go with him thank goodness. Phil came back and said there was a long queue (I heard that the Electoral Commission had shut down lots of polling booths bless their cotton socks) so came back. Even as late as 5.15pm Phil had to wait for about 30 minutes in a queue. His comment "I will also be doing a postal vote next year". Don't blame him as he will then be 87 so entitled to I would think.

The election results are a real shambles and goodness knows what will happen now. Rather not think about it at all as I can't see anything good coming of this double dissolution.

Enjoyed watching Le Tour de France again with some really exciting close finishes. How those fellows ride those huge distances with barely a break beats me. What endurance in the heat or the cold or the rain!!!!

Hope everyone has had a worthwhile week and the coming week will be even better.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Sunday, July 3, 2016

I found this little poem when scrolling through some cat poems and thought the words so beautiful I just had to share them with you. If you are a dog lover then you will have to bear with me. I do like dogs but cats always come first with me.

WHAT IS A CAT? (Author unknown)

Gentle eyes that see so much, paws that have a gentle touch.
Purrs to signal "all is well" and show more love than words can tell.
Graceful movements touched with pride, a calming presence by our side.
A friendship that will last and grow, small wonder why we love them so.

BECAUSE I'M ONLY HUMAN

Because I'm only human, it's sometimes hard to be
The wise, all knowing creature that my cat expects of me.
And so I pray for special help, to somehow understand
The subtle implications of each proud miaowed command.
Oh, let me not forget that chairs were put on earth to shred;
And what I like to call a lap is actually a cat bed.
I know it's really lots to ask but please, oh please, take pity;
And though I'm only human, make me worth of my kitty!

My lap to Candy is not just a cat bed but is sometimes also used as a bathroom while she sits and has a wash!!! I often wonder how she keeps her balance but she never falters.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Today, hopefully, most serious thinking people will have their minds on the Federal Election. It has been a long campaign this time, six weeks plus, and I feel many have put the whole idea to the back of their minds as one does get fed up with political advertisements everywhere....in newspapers, on TV and on the radio. How on earth people in the USA cope with the months and months of electioneering leading up to a presidential election I can't even fathom. I hope Australia does not become a republic in my life time.

One can only hope that before people vote, it is compulsory in Australia, that they put their thinking caps on and vote for whoever they feel will best to lead our country. Unfortunately the difference between the major parties has lessened over past years so it is not quite as easy to make a choice. Because of this many voter have turned to the minor parties and this, in the Senate, caused quite a few problems during the term of the last parliament.

I do wonder if the result of Brexit will make any difference but, from what I've heard, it will possibly benefit Australia so perhaps it won't influence people's vote tomorrow.

I will be watching the television tomorrow night and following the results as I do whenever there is a Federal election. I feel the result will be very close so we may be on the edge of our seats most of the evening. Because Western Australia is 2 hours behind our eastern states it is possible that what happens in our State won't matter a tuppenny damn.

Obviously, most people whether involved or not, will be giving a big sigh of relief that it is all over.

Friday, July 1, 2016

As I often do I was scrolling through YouTube the other day searching for songs I've enjoyed over the years and I came across this one. I remember it well.....Peter, Paul and Mary singing "Blowing in the Wind". Hope you will enjoy it along with me, and maybe even sing along as well.

About Me

I am 85 years of age, having been born in 1932. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and a bit of an all round twit. Over the years I have done quite a lot of family genealogy and unearthed some family secrets which has been great fun.
I am married with a great husband (second time around has worked for me); I have a daughter and a son, four granddaughters and two grandsons, and three fantastic great-granddaughters plus a lovely step-great-granddaughter in Alaska whom I have never met although I have seen her on Skype. I have had two total hip replacements (June '08 and January '09) but as I have an extremely bad back (neck to tail) and a knee that won't behave, I still can't get about very much so am a stay at home. Maybe that is why I decided to take this drastic step and begin my own blog. Will I keep it up? Goodness alone knows, only time will tell but here goes anyway. I don't have a lot of followers but those I do have are very precious to me.